Baklava-Daring Bakers Challenge June 2011

June 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Erica from Erica Edibles. Erika chose to challenge everyone to make hommemade phyllo dough and than to use that homemade dough to make baklava.

I know I am really latte with this month post but I chooser to do soo on purpose. Ihad planed trip to Istambul so it seemed that it would be nice to tell you about my impressions of Istambul along with baklava recipe.

I really liked Istambul but I was there too short to really get to know the city. It is a huge city situated on two continents; Europe and Asia devided by Bosphorus. I was there on buissness trip so I just had time to see essential; Hagia Sophia, Galata tower, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Bosphorus Bridge and ofcourse Grand bazar. I will definitely go back to get to know the city better. In the meanwhile I leave you with soma pictures of Istambul and baklava recipe.

 Kebab

 Galata tower

 Waiting on custumers on Leather Bazaar

 Rain in Istambul

 Grand Bazaar

 Grand Bazaar

 Basillica Cistern

 Grand Bazaar

 Blue Mosque

Recipe:

Phyllo Dough ingredients:

185 g flour

Pinch of salt

105 ml water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar, (could substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, but could affect the taste)

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt. Mix with paddle attachment. Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Add water & oil mixture with mixer on low speed, mix until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water.Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes.  Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and through it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil.Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer the better.

Rolling your Phyllo  

Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly larger then a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.  Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.

Roll out the dough a bit to flatten it out.Wrap the dough around your rolling pin/dowel.Roll back and forth quickly with the dough remaining on the dowel.Rotate and repeat until it is as thin as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice. When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. Roll out your dough until it is transparent. NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up. Between each sheet again flower well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not try out.

 Ingredients for the syrup:

300 ml honey

300 ml water

280 g sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 piece fresh lime peel

juice of 1 lime

When you put your baklava in the oven start making your syrup. When you combine the two, one of them needs to be hot, I find it better when the baklava is hot and the syrup has cooled. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved Boil for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Once boiled for 10 minutes remove from heat and strain cinnamon stick and lemon, allow to cool as baklava cooks.

Ingredients for the filling:

8 g ground cinnamon

170 g roasted almonds

155 g roasted walnuts

140 g roasted pistachios

150 g sugar

phyllo dough (see recipe above)

150 g melted butter

Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine nuts, sugar and spices in a food processor and pulse on high until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor chop with a sharp knife as fine as you can. Set aside.Trim your phyllo sheets to fit in your pan.Brush bottom of pan with butter and place first phyllo sheet.Brush the first phyllo sheet with butter and repeat approximately 5 times ending with butter. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times.Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top.Continue layering and buttering phyllo 5 more times. On the top layer, make sure you have a piece of phyllo with no holes if possible, just looks better.

Once you have applied the top layer tuck in all the edges to give a nice appearance.  With a sharp knife cut your baklava in desired shapes and number of pieces. If you can't cut all the ways through don’t worry you will cut again later.Then brush with a generous layer of butter making sure to cover every area and edge.Bake for approximately 30 minutes; remove from oven and cut again this time all the way through. Continue baking for another 30 minutes. 15. When baklava is cooked remove from oven and pour the cooled (it will still be warmish) syrup evenly over the top, taking care to cover all surfaces when pouring. It looks like it is a lot but over night the syrup will soak into the baklava creating a beautifully sweet and wonderfully textured baklava! Allow to cool to room

temperature. Once cooled cover and store at room temperature. Allow the baklava to sit overnight to absorb the syrup. Serve at room temperature.